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Erin Montgomery 2015 Teacher on the Trail
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Those names are among the most impressive presidents our country has witnessed. They also are the four faces on Mount Rushmore. My class recently created their own Mount Rushmore dedicated to mushers, Musher Mount Rushmore. The lesson started with a short discussion about Mount Rushmore; what …
The Jr. Iditarod was started in 1978 to give young mushers an opportunity to race a longer distance. The first race in 1978 had two divisions, the junior division, ages 11-4, and the senior division, ages 15-17. Today there is only one division for kids ages 14-17. The Jr. is a 150-mile race that usually …
The Iditarod has an impressive historic value that it brings to the state of Alaska. Not only does it have historic value, but it also shares rich culture among all the countries that participate in the race each year. Including the United States, there are 8 countries represented in this year’s Iditarod. One country not …
We left Charley Bejna behind in Ophir, and we are picking up our journey with Lance Mackey. This 90 mile trek will take Lance between 12-18 hours to complete. In fact, in 2013 it took him 14 hours and 51 minutes. Included in this journey, Lance will most likely take a long rest somewhere …
Happy New Year! What does everyone do at the start of a new year? Traditionally, people will establish a New Year’s Resolution. Every year I always hear people say their New Year’s Resolution is to exercise more. Now is the time to start, and why not involve your students and exercise across Alaska. Exercise Across …
Can you believe there are only 67 days left until the start of the 2015 Iditarod race? The last Iditarod Trivia Tuesday led you on a scavenger hunt of the rule book. This week you will use the Iditarod website to familiarize yourself with the 2015 mushers. This is a great time for you and your students …
The last leg of our journey took us from McGrath to Takotna. This week we will ride with Charley Bejna and his team 23 miles to Ophir. When Charley arrived in Takotna with 14 dogs on the line and 1 in the bag, he planned on taking his 24-hour mandatory stop there but for a …
Amongst the natural beauty of Alaska, the Aurora Borealis stands out as perhaps the most breathtaking sight a musher can experience along the Iditarod trail. One can be mesmerized by the brilliance of the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis is a very engaging topic for students to study. My students enjoyed learning about this …
Last weekend the journey to the Iditarod became even more real for Iditarod rookies. The weekend of December 6-7 was the Iditarod Rookie Meeting. All rookies attend this mandatory meeting. A rookie is a musher who is running the race for the first time or who has never completed the race. Several topics are covered …
The 2015 Iditarod champion will win $70,000 and a brand new Dodge pickup truck. The amount of money mushers will spend on training, dogs, food, entry fees, supplies, or anything associated with sled dog racing easily surpasses that amount. It’s apparent that dog mushers don’t get into the sport for money. These athletes are in …